I thought I was prepared for fall. I cooked in bulk, froze in portions, and accepted the double dog-walking duty to ease JG’s first weeks of school. But these days, he comes home exhausted and dejected. The team isn’t playing well. His voice is failing him. He tells me how grateful he is that everything is done, but I sit across the table from a shell of a person.
Inside, I seethe. The weight of the slack I’m picking up pulls me down. It’s hardly gratifying when the beneficiary of my efforts is completely drained by the time I see him, and I’m snappish at the unfairness. I sit on the bed with my arms crossed, annoyed that JG asked me to turn off a light when my hands were full. Next time, I smolder, I’ll let you walk the dog and cook, but I’ll be sure to turn the light off. The only thing on my tongue is venom, and I press my lips together tightly.
I’m already tired of the high road. Today, JG and I exchange e-mails, and I write that I am still prickly, that things are hard for me, too. He gets it, I think.
7 comments
Isn’t that a difficult place to be? I feel a bit the same way since I’m working a LOT and going to school full-time, plus the load of laundry, housekeeping, making lunches and breakfast and dinner, while my husband only goes to school.
The beginning of the school year is always hard until you get back into the swing of things. Unfortunately, it’s even harder for the other person in the relationship that has to deal with it!
That sounds like a lot of days I have been a SAHM. Mr. J. works all day and so do I but I’m sure his job is way more stressful (I don’t seem to have nearly the problems with workplace/employee politics that he does *wink*) but sometimes it just drives me nuts that he comes home so exhausted, with nothing left to give ME.
But hang in there, RA! You’re being a good wife, the ‘helpmeet’ God created you to be for this season…..pretty soon Thanksgiving will be here and you can be thankful together that you made it through the first two months of back-to-school insanity!
I love your honesty. That’s all.
Um. How bizarre. I also use the term “prickly” to describe myself with GD when I become utterly annoyed with him and pre-evil-combustible. I hope today was less prickly and tomorrow moreso.
Even if you know the other person has a lot going on, it’s tough to take over all the household responsibilities like that. I’d be grouchy, too.
Okay…..
I totally know where you are coming from. Picture this year round with JG and that is my life with Tim. His job is awful and it makes him such a shell of his former self about 4 days a week.Grrr
I hold it gets better for you soon.
Leave a comment